Defeat Evil!

Romans 12:17-19 (NLT)—17) Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18) Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible. 19) Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God, for it is written, “I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it,” says the Lord.

In Romans 12:20-21, Scripture continues on to tell us to not let evil get the best of us. We are to conquer evil by doing good. When we treat our enemies with God’s love and mercy, we are showing them we forgive them for the wrong they did to us. This will be conveying the message that we love them in spite of their sins, just as Christ did for us. It may make the person ashamed of himself and help him change his ways.

It benefits us if we just forgive and do not retaliate. It saves us from having a lot of bitterness and an avenging heart. The best way to get rid of enemies is to turn them into friends. Being kind and forgiving will bring peace between you and your enemy which will lead to a mutual reconciliation instead of a cycle of retaliation. God is in control and He will repay the evil doers of this world—the people who will never repent for their sinful and evil actions. God knows everyone’s heart; He knows who is sincerely sorry and who isn’t. It is also going to happen in His timing not ours. We may think that a person deserves to be punished on the spot, but God’s thoughts are not our thoughts; His timing is best.

If we retaliated every time someone offended us or did something unkind to us, there would never be any peace in our life. God’s Word is a tool for us to use in every day circumstances. We are to use His instructions in the Bible as our guidebook. He shows us how to live righteously so that we will get along with each other in harmony. If everyone read the Bible, it would become second nature to us to not do evil to each other and treat each other with respect. Wow, what a wonderful reality that would be! Just think, that is what God had in mind in the beginning when He created the first man and woman—fellowship, friendship, and companionship with Him and with each other. He never meant for everything to be so difficult. We only have ourselves to blame for choosing to use our free will inappropriately. God gives everyone a second chance to choose wisely.

Matthew 5:44-45 (NLT)—“But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For He gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and He sends rain on the just and on the unjust, too.”